I’m excited to announce I will be teaching a new yoga class at Create starting this summer every Wednesday from 3rd August.

The first part of this beautifully balanced class guides you through a series of flowing yoga postures to develop strength and flexibility. The pace then slows for the second part of the class with a focus on restorative and yin poses allowing your body to release both physical and mental tension. This prepares the physical body for our closing Yoga Nidra practice – a guided meditation known to be a form of deep relaxation, allowing our bodies and minds some much needed rest. (Yoga Nidra, which translates as ‘yogic sleep’ has also been shown to help relieve stress and anxiety).

I’m excited to be teaching this Monday night class at reCentre Health in Balham every week from 6th June.

This class weaves the asanas (postures) together, orchestrated by the breath to build strength, stamina and flexibility. It will release tension from the body, improve your posture and leave you feeling stronger, more energised and happy.

With a good dose of relaxation to top things off, this class will leave you rested, refreshed and ready for the week ahead.

If you usually go for a dynamic yoga practice or tough training regime do you ever find that during the summer months you can come away feeling not as energised as you might at other times of year? If so, restorative yoga may be just the thing to add to your routine.

Summer, (though our British weather may sometimes call it in to question!), in Ayurveda is the Pitta (fire) season. One way of creating balance through Ayurveda is to live in harmony with the seasons. If you find that the summer brings about discomfort and agitation then, as a cooling and slow practice, restorative yoga has the capacity to help bring you back into balance.

One of the best things about restorative yoga is that it can benefit just about everyone whether you’re a seasoned yogi, a Crossfitter, a mum-to-be or someone with no yoga experience whatsoever. If you happen to be somebody who has a Pitta dosha (which can be further irritated by excess heat) you may find this practice especially beneficial.

Supported by props such as bolsters, blankets and blocks, restorative poses are held for several minutes at a time (typically anything from 5 to 20 minutes). Consequently, this activates the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of the autonomic nervous system in charge of our rest and digest activities). The idea of using props is that the support they provide makes it easier for your body to relax into each pose, allowing the mind to hopefully follow.

One of my personal favourites is Supported Child’s Pose (as I’m demonstrating in this picture). Like all restorative poses it calms the nervous system and in addition, this particular pose gently stretches the lower back and hips as well as aiding digestion. I’d typically hold this pose for five minutes. It’s a good idea to turn your head halfway through to get an even stretch down both sides of your neck too. Also, if you have delicate knees be sure to pad with blankets as much as needed, and for extra comfort you can pop a rolled up blanket under your thighs as I’ve done here. Comfort is of the utmost importance in every restorative pose.

If you’ve never tried restorative yoga before then come along to a Flow & Restore class on Sunday evenings 6.15-7.30pm at Embody Wellness. In each class I guide you through a blend of flow, restorative and yin yoga poses to leave you feeling rested, uplifted and ready for your week ahead.

Is one of your goals to begin a yoga practice in 2015? Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced practitioner you can benefit from private one-to-one yoga sessions. If you’ve never done yoga before this can be a great way to explore whether it is for you or to gain some confidence in your practice before joining a class.

One-to-one yoga lessons can take place at Embody Wellness in SW8 or evolve in SW7, with easy access to Central London, or another convenient venue at times to fit your schedule.

For more details and to get in touch about 1-2-1 Yoga please clickhere.

From Sunday 14th December you can regularly join me for Sunday Flow at Embody Wellness in Vauxhall.

In the first half of this class you’ll be guided through a series of dynamic, flowing postures to develop strength and flexibility. For the second half of the class, the pace then slows down with a focus on restorative poses allowing you to release tension in body and mind. I look forward to seeing you there

Here in the UK the dark mornings, chillier temperatures and shorter days are a sure sign that winter is upon us. At this time it can be a bit harder to motivate ourselves to keep up our yoga practice, especially in the mornings when the snooze button is very inviting! I’m a big advocate of practising first thing in the morning as you reap the benefits all day – more energy, a brighter mood and a clearer mind, so your efforts to get up early are always rewarded

With this in mind, if you are a London-based Yogi, this month you can take advantage of a special Early Morning Yoga Deal at Evolve Wellness Centre in South Kensington of 5 classes for just £25! With this amazing offer you can join me for Yoga Flow 7.30-8.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays for just £5 per class! This offer is only available until 28th November so don’t miss out – click here to get hold of your class pack. Are you new to Evolve? Click here to watch the Welcome video with founders Adrian and Corinne.

From Tuesday 11th November – you can now join me at the earlier time of 6-7pm at BodyAlign.

NB – For the month of November BodyAlign is offering 15% off all 5 and 10 class packs – either order online or at the studio and use promo code ‘NOV2014′

Offering Pilates, yoga and functional classes, BodyAlign is a small-sized studio offering more personal, specialised sessions with no more than 10 people per class. Based at The Artworks, an exciting creative enterprise community on the corner of Elephant and Walworth Road close to Central London, it’s certainly worth a visit, as recommended by health and fitness blogger Carly in her pick of the best for November (click here to read).

To celebrate 1 month of opening its doors, join us for Body Align’s Open Day this month.

Have you had a chance to visit brand new wellbeing studio, Body Align in Elephant & Castle yet? If not, then the October Open Day is the perfect chance for you to sample a range of yoga and Pilates sessions and more all under Body Align’s cool yet quirky roof. Based at the new Artworks development, the studio is housed in refurbished shipping containers.

(Just remember to turn up 10-15 mins early to register – and do feel free to spread the word!)

The more the merrier, and there will be some freebies and a few prizes too. Look forward to seeing you there

If you can’t wait, then you can sign up now for the introductory offer of £30 for 14 consecutive days and try as many classes as you like – from Forrest, Ashtanga, Broga and much more to a wide range of Pilates classes for all levels, there’s plenty to choose from. Plus, you can still join me on Wednesdays for Hatha & Gentle Flow at the NEW time of 7.45-8.45pm.

Keep an eye on the Body Align Facebook page for full Open Day details as they are confirmed. And to see all of the classes currently on offer visit the timetable here.

Join me each Saturday from 9.00-10.00am at this beautiful wellbeing centre just a stone’s throw from the River Thames in Vauxhall.

Flow into your weekend ahead with this uplifting and energising class. It’s great for developing flexibility, balance and strength as well as helping to calm and focus your mind. A perfect way to start your weekend